Westcoast Invasion
P.O.D., Alien Ant Farm, Dead Girls Academy
Full Circle Tour Europe 2019 presented by Mind Over Matter Music, Flex Wien, Austria 20191110
On this Sunday evening, yet the second musical hero of the time around the millennium checks in at the Flex. After Adam Green got his audience going with his Anti Folk, this time it is about Alternative Rock and Nu Metal.
The first band represents crazy LA. Even though Dead Girls Academy now are based in Las Vegas, they appear like they could have been born at the Rainbow directly. Great hooks and a lot of charisma are their trademarks, what gets down in a catchy Heavy Glam Metal show. Their own songs like “Everything” stand next to the Mötley Crüe cover and even more, they are modern like the Young Guns and remarkable like Marilyn Manson. Alien Ant Farm as second act unfortunately has to fight a way too bassy sound. That lowers the fun with songs like “Wish” from Tony Hawk Pro Skater, when singer Dryden was “a young and skinny boy”. Before the final “Goodbye” and Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal”, the band interrupts the concert to at least improve the sound.
And then the seldom guests from P.O.D. really get the audience rioting this Sunday night. After “The Fundamental Elements of Southtown”, they had their breakthrough with “Satellite”, and over the years they produced more highlights like the Matrix Reloaded soundtrack “Sleeping Awake” or “God Forbid” with Page Hamilton from Helmet. This night, the crowd celebrates the old tunes as well as the new ones from their latest “Circles”. The moshpit is turning from the first track on and explodes the first time at “Boom”. Singer Sonny asserts that this is “the smalles, dirtiest and sweatiest club we’ve played on this tour. And I got a feeling this will be the best show.” Therefore he even gets down to sing in the middle of the people and they also show their love for Punk Rock. After 27 years, they have been making music, they just know how to enthuse their fans, which wouldn’t say no if Sonny would take them with him in his “big suitcase”, going “Always Southern California” which is far away. But the band is home where their people are.